Former Tennessee forward Cade Phillips committed to Texas A&M basketball out of the transfer portal Thursday, he announced on Instagram. Phillips previously took visits to Alabama and Texas A&M and also had reportedly had a Zoom call with Maryland before committing to the Aggies.
Phillips missed most of his junior season after undergoing left shoulder surgery back in December. He played in 10 games and started nine for Tennessee this season, averaging 3.8 points, four rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
Tennessee was confident that Phillips would be able to medically redshirt. If that proves true, Phillips will still have two years of availability remaining.
A three-star in the 2023 recruiting cycle, Phillips had a limited role as a freshman where he played six minutes over his 13 games played over the course of the season. His biggest role came a season later as a sophomore.
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With J.P. Estrella missing much of the 2024-25 season due to a foot injury, Phillips was one of two true big men on Tennessee’s roster along with Felix Okpara. He played in 38 games and averaged 4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 14.9 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-9 power forward is a high-level athlete allowing him to play center despite his smaller size. Phillips is a good rim protector and a lob threat. Rick Barnes frequently raved about Phillips’ defensive versatility with his ability to defend the perimeter and the rim.
Phillips joins a Texas A&M program that went 22-12 (11-7 SEC) in Bucky McMillan’s first season as head coach. The Aggies earned a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated seven-seed St. Mary’s before losing to two-seed Houston.
The forward is one of six Tennessee players to enter the transfer portal this offseason along with Bishop Boswell, Clarence Massamba, Amari Evans, Jaylen Carey and J.P. Estrella.
Boswell committed to Maryland, Carey committed to Missouri and Estrella committed to Michigan. Evans and Massamba have yet to commit to a new team since entering the portal.
